Swan Song
by Hellowriters
Summary: Clearing his throat, he tried to speak without stuttering. "Annabeth, I'm dying. There's nothing you can do about it."/ A series of drabbles with people's reactions to Percy's death.
1. He dies, she stays

**Swan Song**

 **Chapter I: _He dies, she stays._**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the rights to the Percy Jackson series.**

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"You're bleeding!"

Annabeth's eyes widened in horror as she watched her boyfriend, Percy Jackson, slice through the last monster— a dracaena. With a hiss of surprise, the half-snake, half-human creature exploded into dust.

The two demigods had been ambushed by a hoard of monsters in an abandoned gas station, where they had stopped for the night on their way back from Camp Jupiter to Camp Half-Blood. It hadn't been an easy fight, they must've battled at least a dozen different types of monsters. Annabeth felt exhausted from the effort; they had been driving for twenty hours straight when they decided it would be better to stop somewhere and rest for a bit. That's how they'd found the gas station.

Percy frowned at his girlfriend, then looked down at his abdomen. True to Annabeth's words, he was indeed bleeding. His orange T-shirt was torn and soaked in dark red blood, right above his left hip.

 _Oh_ was all Percy could mutter before his knees buckled and he collapsed on the cold tiled floor.

"Percy!" Annabeth screamed and rushed to his side.

She knelt down beside him, then raised his head up on her lap. Percy's eyes fluttered. He saw the daughter of Athena desperately searching for something in her backpack.

"For Hades' sake, where is it?"

She looked angry, jaw clenched and body tense as she fiddled through the insides of the backpack. "Ah, found it!"

With a shaky hand, she unwrapped the napkin around the ambrosia and picked one tablet, bringing it to Percy's mouth. The latter's breathing was ragged. Beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead. His hand was pressing on the wound, though blood was still gushing out, dripping onto the floor.

Annabeth pressed the ambrosia against Percy's lips. "C'mon, Seaweed Brain, y-you've got to eat this." Her voice was broken, you could tell she was on the verge of crying, but she tried to keep it cool for his sake.

Percy obliged. He ate the small tablet, even though he knew it was pointless.

"Ann—" he choked. The irony taste of blood filled his mouth.

"Shh," Annabeth croaked, as if someone was strangling her. Tears had welled up in her eyes and were running down her flushed cheeks. "I'll g-get water," she sobbed. "I'll get you w-water and, and y-you'll heal."

Percy's heart clenched. "N-no," he managed, voice hoarse. "Please, s-stay with—" He coughed again. "Stay with m-me."

This time she couldn't contain herself. She let out a sob. Hearing her in so much pain made Percy's gut churn. He couldn't bear hearing his girlfriend crying for him like that. The wound didn't hurt. Anymore. It was numb. He couldn't feel, nor move his legs. His arms were sore and his lungs felt as if they were melting. But it was alright. He couldn't think about himself, not when Annabeth was blubbering like that. With his last powers, the son of Poseidon willed his arms up, cupping Annabeth's face in his hands.

She opened her eyes. They were red and glistening with tears.

"P-percy, p-please," she let out a sob. "Please, we n-need to get back to c-camp."

He stroked her cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"I know," he whispered weakly, then brought his arms back down, not having anymore power to keep them up. "P-please, Wise Girl, d-don't cry."

Annabeth whimpered again, then choked a broken laugh. "Okay, I-I won't. But y-you have t-to p-promise... Promise me, Percy! Promise that you w-won't go..."

A faint, sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He nodded weakly.

She cradled his head in her lap and started stroking his hair. Percy sucked in a breath. It was getting harder with every second to do that— an action so simple, so natural that you never even think about it, about how important that little action is in fact.

 _It felt like drowning_ , Percy thought. Technically, his lungs were getting filled up with his own blood so, in a way _, he was drowning_. And also loosing lots of blood. He knew what was coming, he could sense it. His vision had specks of white and was getting blurrier with every moment. His whole body felt tired. He felt so tired. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep for a while. Sleep sounded so good. So good...

"Percy!"

Annabeth's voice rang through him like electricity through metal. His eyes shot open. He hadn't even realized he had closed them.

"Y-yeah," he croaked. "I'm— I'm here, b-but I think..." he swallowed thickly, "My eyes are so tired, I'll f-fall asleep."

Annabeth's lower lip quivered and she clasped a hand over her mouth, muffling a cry. Her eyes were tightly shut, though tears were still falling.

One landed on Percy's lip. He licked it, tasting the saltiness of the droplet.

Clearing his throat, he tried to speak without stuttering.

"Annabeth, I'm dying. There's nothing you can do about it."

She continued sobbing.

He continued talking.

"I knew this day would come... sooner or later. I didn't expect it to be this soon though, but—" he coughed up some more blood, "but here we are. I want you t-to promise me something..."

Blinking slowly, his eyelids heavier than ever, Percy glanced at his girlfriend. She looked down at him and sniffed, then nodded shortly.

"Ok—okay," she gasped between sobs.

"Promise me that y-you won't blame yourself f-for this, ple—please. And... and I want you to b-be happy, p-please Annabeth, promise."

As if hot iron was being pushed down her throat, the daughter of Athena found she couldn't speak.

"Mhm," was all she managed.

Percy let out a sigh of relief. His eyes had closed shut, he didn't have the strength to keep them open anymore.

Annabeth's body was trembling. One hand was keeping Percy's head in place, while the other was gripping the sleeve of his T-shirt. She watched as the boy struggled for one last breath, then felt his body go slack.

"I love you," she whispered, then broke into uncontrollable sobbing.

She screamed and whimpered, shaking as she cradled his head to her heart, kissing his forehead and pressing her hot cheek against his cold one.

"NO," she yelled, looking up. "PLEASE, GODS, PLEASE! WHOEVER IS LISTENING , YOU HAVE TO BRING HIM BACK!" Her voice cracked as she wailed. " _You have to bring him back..._ " She whispered and tightened her grip around the dead demigod.

 _It wasn't fair,_ she was thinking. Percy wasn't supposed to die like that. He died for nothing. Not in battle. Not protecting someone. He died like a regular demigod, at the hands of a regular monster. He didn't die a hero.

 _He didn't die a hero..._

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 **Thank you for reading! If you liked this, a review would be very, very appreciated.**

 **This was supposed to be a one-shot, but I think I'll turn it into a series of one-shots, each of them showing people's reactions to Percy's death.**


	2. Reunion

**Swan Song**

 **Chapter II: _Reunion_.**

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"And this is why you shouldn't get pulled over if your chauffeur is a rotting corpse with a French accent and an attitude," concluded the son of Hades with an amused huff.

Will laughed wholeheartedly, patting his boyfriend on the back.

"And this is why you should speak more often."

The rest of the people at the table chuckled and nodded in agreement.

"Who knew that Death Breath has a sense of humor," snickered Leo, though his grin faded faster than his will to get up on a school day when the son of Hades fixed him under a glare that screamed bloody murder.

"Suck it, Repair Boy!"

Nico stuck his tongue out. The others roared with laughter. Leo pulled a mocking face and mimicked the other demigod.

"I don't think I've laughed this much since Jason went around looking for his glasses only to realize he had been wearing them all along," Piper breathed out, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes and clutching her belly as she was shaking so hard.

"Hey, you don't need to remind everyone about that!" Argued the blonde, pushing his eyeglasses up in embarrassment.

The daughter of Aphrodite looked her boyfriend dead in the eyes with the most serious face she could pull off in that moment and said, "Yes. Yes I do."

Then she cracked up in another fit of giggles.

In short, everyone was having fun at the monthly Argo II reunion. This time, it was taking place at Camp Half-Blood. They were gathered up around one of the tables in the dining pavilion. Not only them, but all the campers were out, laughing, having fun and for once being normal kids and teens. The tables were full of snacks, fruits on bronze plates and lots of soda cans. In short, everything was perfect.

Well, almost perfect.

"When did Percy and Annabeth say they would arrive?" Asked Frank.

Jason raised his eyebrows and scratched the back of his head. "I talked with Reyna today. She said they'd left earlier this morning."

Frank nodded slowly.

"Yeah, they won't make it here tonight. The best we could hope for is to see them tomorrow night, at capture the flag," acknowledged the son of Jupiter.

A short lived moment of silence settled among the demigods present at the table. It was clear they all missed the presence of their two friends.

"Well," Leo interrupted, slamming his palms on the table, "who's ready to play some magical cards against humanity?"

"Nooo, let's play truth or dare!" Piper batted her eyelashes pleadingly. "Pretty please...?"

Leo pursed his lips and shook his head. "Dammit, Pipes! Why you've always gotta pull the kicked puppy face?!"

The daughter of Aphrodite smiled broadly and stuck her tongue out.

"Love you too, Leo!"

"Truth or dare with a child of Aphrodite... Brace yourselves folks, you don't know what you're signing up for," announced Will, making Piper give him a smug smile.

Jason squeezed Piper's hand. "Hmm, is that so?"

Hazel squeezed tighter next to Frank and wrapped her hands around his arm.

"Well... This should be interesting."

"Okay then," the son of Hephaestus drawled. "Who wants to start?"

"Wait!" interrupted Piper. "We should get a bottle to spin it so we can choose who's asking who."

"Yeah, good idea. Hey, Nicks?" Leo asked.

The other demigod cocked a disappointed eyebrow at the nickname. "What?"

"Please find us a bottle?"

The elvish boy tried to imitate Piper's kicked puppy face.

"No."

"No?!" Leo asked with indignation. "Why not? Pretty please?"

The son of Hades shrugged. "Get it yourself?"

With a roll of his eyes, Leo said, "Why now, I'm taking my words back. You're not fun."

Everyone was watching the bickering with amusement.

The son of Hades suddenly paled and froze.

"Nico?" Piper asked hesitantly.

She was sure that Leo hadn't meant to offend him or anything, it was just a stupid like the ones he usually said.

When the young demigod didn't make any sign that he was coming back into his senses, everyone started to get a little concerned.

"Hey, Nico?" Asked Will softly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

A moment passed before the son of Hades blinked and seemed to become conscious of his surroundings.

"I—" His voice cracked. He couldn't help the grimace of pain that spread across his face. By this moment, everyone was growing anxious in their seats.

"What's wrong?" Jason intervened.

"Nico, tell us, are you okay?"

"Did something happen?"

"Are you crying?! I should have caught this on camera!"

"LEO!"

"Nico, say something!"

"What is wrong with—"

"SHUT UP! EVERYONE, SHUT UP!" the Ghost King found himself shouting on a fit of rage, then immediately dropped his head into his palm and started shaking.

"Ni—" Jason started, but stopped under the glare of Will Solace.

The son of Apollo tenderly wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and started gently stroking his arm.

"Hey, Nico," he spoke softly. "Please, tell us what's wrong so we can help—"

"H-help?!" The crying boy snapped. His face was flushed and his eyes were dark. "There's nothing you can do to help," he spat bitterly, then shook his head.

The whole table was watching him in a concerned awe. It was the first time they had seen their friend cry like that. It wasn't like they didn't want to help, but they didn't know how.

"He... he's," Nico swallowed a sob," he's d-dead."

"Who?!" three people asked in unison.

Nico's bottom lip trembled. "Per—Percy." The name came out strangled and muffled.

The whole table dropped silent. They all stared at him like he had grown another head.

Leo snorted, but soon his smile was replaced by a look of desperation. "You— you can't be serious..."

When Nico didn't respond, the news really dawned on his demigod friends.

Will tightened his embrace around the son of Hades. Jason was staring blankly at him. Piper was gripping a soda can so tight it exploded. Leo's jaw was slack and he kept knitting and unknitting his eyebrows as if he didn't understand what his friend had just said. Calypso was clutching onto her boyfriend's arm. Hazel had clasped a hand over her mouth and was crying while Frank was holding her close to his chest. Frank had tears in his eyes as well.

"What do you... Percy? I..." Jason trailed off.

Nico nodded and wiped the tears from his eyes. "I—" He cleared his throat. "I sensed his spirit pass in the realm of the dead... It's... I don't..."

Piper snapped out of her daze. She had tears in her eyes. "If Percy is de—" She stopped herself at that word, then shook her head. "What about Annabeth?"

The son of Hades frowned. "She is not, I only felt Percy." Every inch of him was burning and with every word he muttered he felt more and more disconnected with the world surrounding him. He drew in a long breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say. "Percy is the only one whoM I felt die. He's dead... _Percy Jackson is dead_."

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 **Hey, reader! I hope you liked this chapter. Basically, this is the theme of the story: people's reactions to Percy's death. Follows/favorites/reviews are very** **appreciated!**

 **Now, to Jakyo24: Thank you for the review! I haven't read Keeper of The Lost Cities; would you recommend it?**


	3. You did good

**Swan Song**

 **Chapter III: _You did good._**

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Percy didn't understand what was happening until he found himself on Charon's boat. The ferryman, dressed in a dark cloak under which his skin looked almost translucent, was paddling upside river Styx.

With a frown, the demigod skimmed around the boat. Aboard, besides him and Hades' daimon, were about six other people. Their eyes were glazed and they were staring off into the darkness.

Percy tried to stand up, finding himself incredibly light. He blinked, his eyes feeling tired, and looked looked down at his arms. They were almost as transparent as Charon's, glowing with a faint blue tint.

"I am..." His voice came out as a soft whisper, but reverberated through the stillness of his surroundings. The only other sound was the soft murmur of the water underneath them.

"Dead?" asked the ferryman in a fake British accent, although his voice was smooth and calming.

Percy's eyes snapped towards the dark figure standing at the back of the boat with the oar in his hands and pushing them further against the water stream.

"Yeah..." the demigod realized and knit his eyebrows, trying to remember what had happened. His frown deepened even more when he realized his mind was blank. Just like that moment when you're taking a test and feel like you should know the answers, but they fly right over your head and at the end, you don't remember anything.

"Don't worry, kid. It's just a side effect of dying," the daimon spoke soothingly, as if reading his thoughts.

The son of Poseidon turned his head to look into the distance. A red hue was beginning to color the sky and faint murmur echoed around them. The light grew brighter and brighter and the murmur louder and louder, until Percy recognized them as the fires and tormented screams of the damned souls from the Fields of Punishment.

For a short second, a terrible though crossed his mind: what if he ended up as one of them? The memories of all the lives he could not save flooded his mind. He knew that he could've done more, that he could've been better...

He remembered losing his mom on the first day he'd learned about his godly heritage, losing Charles Beckendorf and Silena Beauregard, Bianca di Angelo and Zoe Nightshade, Ethan Nakamura and Luke Castellan. He remembered all the demigods he couldn't protect, all the friends he'd lost during the two wars...

A sense of dread coiled itself around his throat.

It rapidly washed away when he started remembering all the good he had done. He was all of a sudden immersed in old memories. Memories that brought him peace, that made him smile...

 _He found himself snuggled under a bunch of blankets, at his mother's side, on their old couch. Percy was munching on a blue cookie and his eyes were glued on the TV. Little Mermaid was on. His mother was gently stroking his hair with one hand. She was smiling down at him. Tearing his eyes off the movie, the little kid found himself grinning back at his mother._ _She chuckled gingerly and wiped some cookie crumbs from Percy's face._

 _"You did good today, my little dolphin," Sally said on a heartwarming tone and booped his nose with her finger._

Percy frowned. He didn't remember what he had done, but he did remember feeling so good for making his mother proud.

The image shifted.

 _This time, he was at school, at Yancy Academy. He was in the bathroom, feeling_ _furious. Water was streaming down from all the taps. He was facing the wall, a big chunk from a broken basin lay at his feet. A boy with a dorky face, ginger hair and a funny cap was standing behind him, nervously rubbing his hand together._

 _"Thanks, Perce," he spoke in a goatish manner. "You didn't have to, though... Now you're gonna get in trouble because of me."_

 _He turned around to look at his friend and smiled. "Nah, this is what friends are for. And besides, those jerks had it coming."_

The visions started changing faster.

 _He saw himself as a twelve year old at Camp Half-Blood, being cheered at after retrieving Zeus' master bolt. Then he was on Polyphemus' island, fighting to cover his friends and then, just like that, he was holding up the sky after freeing Annabeth from the trap._

The images were swirling around him at this point. His eyes were juggling between them: _him running through the labyrinth with Rachel and Nico, diving into the river Styx, leaning above Luke as the guy whispered his last words and requests, hunting alongside Lupa and her pack of wolves, kissing Annabeth, letting go and falling into Tartarus..._

"He's headed for Elysium alright," a voice spoke, pulling Percy back into reality with the force of a thousand gods.

He blinked a couple of times, still unfocused after the trip down his memory lane, and found himself standing in front of a platform. On said platform were three pulpits and behind each of them stood a man.

On the far left was a guy wearing a white wig, like the ones judges wear in courtrooms, and a weird white scarf tucked in his dark blue coat. His expression was bored and he was impatiently tapping his fingers on the board.

On the far right was a short guy with a round face framed by a shortly trimmed beard that accentuated his face shape and a funny mustache. His clothes reminded Percy of the men in his history books, with a huge white collar that separated the head from the rest of the body and a tight black velvet shirt.

The figure standing at the pulpit in the middle looked familiar. A tall, imposing man dressed in white robes and wearing a thin circlet of gold on top his head. His eyes flickered with cruelty and his long, gray beard was pointed forward like a spear.

"Thou art not mistaken," completed the man on the right. He had a thick British accent and was nodding approvingly.

"Yes, yes," said the man in the middle with an annoyed voice, waving a hand in a dismissive way at his two companions. He scribbled something down and then raised his head to look straight at Percy. "Perseus Jackson, died 21st of June 2018, stood fair trial before the judges of the Underworld. We, therefore, assign you eternal life in Elysium, or at your request, rebirth."

Percy thought for a moment. "No, I accept the verdict to be sent to Elysium."

"Very well then. You shall be transferred—"

"Not yet!" a powerful voice boomed and the shadows grew thicker in front of Percy, morphing into a tall figure. The demigod recognized the god of the Underworld. The three judges bowed immediately before their master.

"Lord Hades! We did not expect you—"

The god raised his eyebrows and with a bored expression snapped his fingers, the three men dissolving into shadows. The demigod watched him, surprised by the sudden apparition.

"Perseus," the god acknowledged him. "I can't say I am pleased to see you here..." He looked the boy up and down. "The world might've still needed a hero like you." He paused and swiftly turned on his heels, starting to pace around the pavilion. "But, unfortunately, it is not me who decides the fate of the heroes. I am here at the request of my son, since you're demigod friends were forbidden to visit you in the Underw—"

"Forbidden?" Percy interrupted, a little bit delayed.

Hades sighed. "Yes, forbidden. That is since most of them were ready to organize a rescue party and take you back to the mortal world."

A warm feeling spread over Percy. He was happy that his friends were concerned about him, but it is what it is. They couldn't change what had been already done.

"Like I was saying," the deity continued, "I am here at my son's request. He wanted me to give you these."

The god extended his hand and a stack of envelopes morphed into his grip.

"They are farewell letters from your friends and family. You shall open them after you are transferred to Elysium."

"Okay, thanks." Percy wasn't looking forward to it, though. He didn't want to read them. To make goodbye permanent.

"Then, I suppose this is it," concluded Hades. "I will send you to Elysium now."

Percy nodded, then, right when the god was about to snap his fingers, he stopped him. "Wait!"

Hades cocked an eyebrow.

Percy wetted his lips. "Lord Hades, could you deliver a message for me, please?"

Visibly annoyed, the god sighed. "I am not a mailman, kid, but... I could make an exception just this once."

"Thank you," Percy smiled. "I want you to tell Annabeth, my girlfriend, that... that I didn't choose rebirth, because I want to wait for her. I want us to do it together."

After a shot moment of silence, Hades spoke, "Is that it?"

He was greeted with a short nod from the demigod.

"Alright, you'll have your message delivered. Now, I wish you to enjoy afterlife, kid. Goodbye."

With that said, the god of the Underworld snapped his fingers and Percy disappeared in a wave of shadows.

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 **A/N: Thank you** **guys so much for reading this!**


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